One break in concentration led to a broken collarbone for Watsonville rider Ben Jacques-Maynes during Stage 5 of the Tour of California professional cycling race.

Jacques-Maynes, the standings leader for Bissell Pro Cycling team, had to be transported from the route between Seaside and Paso Robles by ambulance Thursday after he became entangled in a crash within the main pack midway through the stage.

"In every bike race, there are these little, pointless crashes. It's such a long day, and you spend the vast majority of it cruising along with nothing happening, just waiting for the finish with the race playing out very slowly. One moment of inattention and someone will crash," Jacques-Maynes said in a phone interview as he drove back to his home in Watsonville. "It happened right in front of me. Before I knew it, I was going over the handlebars and into the dirt."

The tour's medical crew attended to Jacques-Maynes soon after the crash, and he and two other riders were transported via ambulance to Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton. There, doctors confirmed what Jacques-Maynes already suspected.

"I could have told them walking in the door that it was broken," said the racer, 32, who broke his collarbone in a crash during a stage race in Oregon in 2008.

Jacques-Maynes said he is trying to keep a positive outlook despite his disappointment over the premature end to his Tour of California bid.

The first stage was cancelled due to snow around Lake Tahoe, but he earned his keep by getting airtime for his Bissell Team while riding as part of a three-man breakaway in the truncated Stage 2 from Nevada City to Sacramento. In Stage 3, he helped get his twin brother and teammate Andy Jacques-Maynes near the front early. Andy Jacques-Maynes took it from there to the podium in two sprint challenges during the route from Auburn to Modesto.

"For the races that I did, I raced them as hard as I could," Ben Jacques-Maynes said. "I think I've gotten a lot out of them for my team. I only wish more for my teammates in the next stages."

He said the strong winds propelling the riders southward didn't play into the crash.

"It was actually really nice: sunshine, a tailwind. We were clipping along really nicely," he said. "It turned sour at the drop of a water bottle."

While this is perhaps the marquee race on Bissell's calendar, Jacques-Maynes -- who has raced in all six Tour of Californias -- said he won't sit around waiting for next year's race. He is trying to find an orthopedist who can perform surgery as soon as possible. He hopes to be back to training on the road within two to three weeks and back to racing within six.

If he can stick to that plan, he said he thinks he can work his way back up the national standings.

"I'm motivated, and even five hours after, right now, I am already turning around my mindset, that I can get through this. I can do it," Jacques-Maynes said. "When you're looking forward to surgery, there's either something wrong with your head, or you're really dedicated."